Lifespan, Zigy tie up for affordable diabetes care

Zigy, an online marketplace connecting chemists with consumers, has partnered with Lifespan, the world’s largest chain of diabetes management clinics, to help make diabetes care more accessible and affordable in India.Vishal Dutta | ET Bureau | Updated: November 19, 2015, 00:00 IST

Zigy, an online marketplace connecting chemists with consumers, has partnered with Lifespan, the world's largest chain of diabetes management clinics, to help make diabetes care more accessible and affordable in IndiaAhmedabad: Zigy, an online marketplace connecting chemists with consumers, has partnered with Lifespan, the world's largest chain of diabetes management clinics, to help make diabetes care more accessible and affordable in India.

As part of the tie-up, Lifespan products will be made available on Zigy in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

"Zigy is committed to collaborate with best-in-class providers of products and services to make world-class healthcare accessible and affordable to Indians," said Hemant Bhardwaj, cofounder and chief executive of Zigy.

"Diabetes management can be expensive but there are ways to manage it well," said Ashok Jain, CEO of Lifespan.

India has more than 66 million people with diabetes, second only to China. Also, more than 75 million Indians are at risk to develop diabetes due to rising levels of obesity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, according to Zigy.

Only in India the healthcare financing is very small when compared to the financing by the other forces rather than the patient himself or herself paying out of pocket. Having 70-75% of the expenses as out-of-pocket, in my opinion, is not a right approach to managing healthcare in a country where the patients tend to sub-optimally purchase healthcare if he/she has to pay out-of-pocket.